Ontario becomes the first province to mandate grade-school Holocaust education: What can parents expect?

The new curriculum is geared towards combatting antisemitism.
Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce announcing Holocaust education will be mandated for Grade 6, Nov. 9, 2022 (Credit: Lila Sarick)

With students returning to classrooms next week, Ontario will become the first Canadian province to mandate Holocaust education starting in Grade 6.

The process began last fall, after a number of high-profile American celebrities—including Kanye West and Kyrie Irving—brought antisemitism centre stage, especially online. Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce announced a series of reforms to combat the rising trend of antisemitism across Ontario schools, as The CJN Daily has previously covered.

Earlier this summer, The CJN Daily‘s Ellin Bessner and CJN news editor Lila Sarick spoke to Lecce about the new material, how it’s being introduced, what parents can expect and why the changes are so important to the minister on a personal level.

Credits

The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our intern is Ashok Lamichhane, and our theme music by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here.

Author

Support Our Mission: Make a Difference!

The Canadian Jewish News is now a Registered Journalism Organization (RJO) as defined by the Canada Revenue Agency. To help support the valuable work we’re doing, we’re asking for individual monthly donations of at least $10. In exchange, you’ll receive tax receipts, a thank-you gift of our quarterly magazine delivered to your door, and our gratitude for helping continue our mission. If you have any questions about the donating process, please write to [email protected].

Support the Media that Speaks to You

Jewish Canadians deserve more than social media rumours, adversarial action alerts, and reporting with biases that are often undisclosed. The Canadian Jewish News proudly offers independent national coverage on issues that impact our audience each day, as a conduit for conversations that bridge generations. 

It’s an outlet you can count on—but we’re also counting on you.

Please support Jewish journalism that’s creative, innovative, and dedicated to breaking new ground to serve your community, while building on media traditions of the past 65 years. As a Registered Journalism Organization, contributions of any size are eligible for a charitable tax receipt.